Sohrab
Character Analysis

Hassan’s son, a boy who is sent to an orphanage when Hassan and Farzana are killed. He is then taken from the orphanage and sexually abused by Assef, until Amir comes for him and brings him back to America. Sohrab is a symbol of all the terrible things that have happened to both the characters and the country of Afghanistan, but he also offers a chance for hope and redemption.

Sohrab Quotes in The Kite Runner

The The Kite Runner quotes below are all either spoken by Sohrab or refer to Sohrab. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Riverhead Books edition of The Kite Runner published in 2013.

Chapter 25
Quotes

“Sohrab, I can’t give you your old life back, I wish to God I could. But I can take you with me. That was what I was coming in the bathroom to tell you. You have a visa to go to America, to live with me and my wife. It’s true. I promise.”

“Do you want me to run that kite for you?” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed… I thought I saw him nod. “For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. It was only a smile, nothing more… A tiny thing… But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.

Sohrab Character Timeline in The Kite Runner

The timeline below shows where the character Sohrab appears in The Kite Runner. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Chapter 16

...health, and the two became close. Sanaubar delivered Farzana’s baby, a boy that they named Sohrab after the character from “Rostam and Sohrab,” the story Hassan and Amir loved as children....
(full context)

...and Kabul was ruled by rival Afghan groups that were constantly at war. Hassan taught Sohrab to read and write, so that he would not grow up illiterate like his father....
(full context)

Chapter 17

...a letter and a picture of Hassan as a grown man, standing with his son Sohrab. They are both smiling as if the world were a kinder place than it is.
(full context)

Hassan describes his son Sohrab, and how much he loves him. They still walk up to the cemetery on the...
(full context)

...with grief. Rahim Khan continues – the Taliban moved into Baba’s house, and they sent Sohrab to an orphanage. Rahim Khan then says that this was the other reason he wanted...
(full context)

Chapter 18

...thinks of the phrase “a way to be good again,” and hopes that perhaps with Sohrab there is a way to end the cycle of betrayals and lies.
(full context)

...Rahim Khan praying, and he tells him that he will go to Kabul and find Sohrab.
(full context)

Chapter 19

...should not have assumed Amir’s reason for returning. He says he will help Amir find Sohrab.
(full context)

Chapter 20

Amir and Farid find the new orphanage (which replaced Baba’s, which was destroyed) where Sohrab is supposed to be. The director, Zaman, is very wary of their questions and at...
(full context)

Zaman takes Amir and Farid to his office and says he has bad news – Sohrab is no longer there, and it may be too late for him. He is hesitant...
(full context)

Zaman gets up, choking, and says that the official took Sohrab a month ago. Zaman explains that he has no power against the Taliban, and the...
(full context)

Chapter 22

The official asks Amir about America, but Amir only says that he is looking for Sohrab. The official says that many think that abandoning Afghanistan for America is as good as...
(full context)

The guards turn on music and make Sohrab dance, and then the official takes Sohrab in his arms and orders the guards to...
(full context)

...is called ethnic cleansing, and Assef seems to enjoy the term. Amir again asks for Sohrab, but he won’t tell Assef what he plans to do with him. Finally Assef shoves...
(full context)

...that if Amir leaves the room alive they are to let him pass. He wants Sohrab to stay and watch, however. Then Assef puts on his old brass knuckles. After that...
(full context)

...of swallowing teeth and blood, Assef throwing him against a wall and striking him, and Sohrab screaming. Then Amir starts laughing, as he suddenly feels at peace for the first time...
(full context)